Whole Wheat Pastry

This pie crust blends whole wheat flour with a smaller portion of white flour, giving you a nuttier, more rustic pastry without the heaviness of a 100% whole wheat dough. The white flour keeps things tender and workable while the whole wheat brings flavor and a bit more structure.

The technique is classic pastry-making. Cut cold shortening into the dry ingredients until the mixture looks like coarse meal, with some pea-sized pieces of fat still visible. Those little pockets of shortening are what create flaky layers when the dough bakes. Add ice-cold water one tablespoon at a time and stop the moment everything holds together. Overworking the dough develops gluten, which means tough pastry.

Chill the dough ball before rolling. Cold dough rolls more evenly, shrinks less in the oven, and keeps those fat pockets intact. Roll to ⅛ inch thick on a lightly floured surface.

This works as a blind-baked shell (pricked with a fork and baked empty) or as the base for any filled pie.

Kitchen Tips

• Keep everything cold: cold shortening, ice water, and chill the dough before rolling
• Use a pastry blender or two knives to cut in the shortening; your warm hands will melt the fat
• When adding water, use a fork and toss the mixture rather than stirring, which overworks the dough
• If blind baking, use pie weights or dried beans on parchment to prevent the bottom from puffing up

Variations

• Substitute cold butter for half the shortening for richer flavor (shortening gives more flake, butter gives more taste)
• Add a teaspoon of sugar for a slightly sweeter crust suited to fruit pies
• Use all whole wheat flour for a heartier crust, but add an extra tablespoon of water since whole wheat absorbs more liquid